The Sacramento-based Painted Ladies Rodeo Performers raced across the arena on horseback, American flags streaming behind them. From the stands, more than 5,000 spectators dressed for the occasion in cowboy hats, leather boots and ornate rodeo belt buckles cheered them on.
Then came the sheriff’s deputies.
Yellow smoke and pyrotechnics filled Folsom’s Dan Russell Rodeo Arena as deputies made their entrance, showing off armored vehicles and tactical gear while helicopters flew in formation overhead. Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper greeted the crowd alongside the department’s robotic dog…